Vaughan Williams's Veranda

Started by karlhenning, April 12, 2007, 06:03:44 AM

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vandermolen

Quote from: Mirror Image on August 12, 2021, 07:50:57 PM
Sorry to hear about this, Jeffrey. Best wishes to you and your family. We must never take one moment for granted. It's over before we know it.
Absolutely right John. Many thanks.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Mirror Image


vandermolen

#5122
From WAYLTN thread:
Vaughan Williams: Sancta Civitas (Ian Partridge, John Shirley-Quirk, LSO, David Willcocks).
It's a long time since I played this magnificent work - arguably one of the composer's greatest works. This is still my favourite recording and is the one that I first came across on LP when I was a university student. I was lucky that my early enthusiasm for VW developed at a time of revival in the composer's music, either side of the 1972 centenary, when many more recordings (such as this one), became available. I remember ordering the LP at the same time as Herbert Howells's 'Hymnus Paradisi' (also conducted by David Willcocks) and these were two huge discoveries for me. I seem to remember ordering them from Boots - the Chemist in Lancaster - seems a weird idea now but, in those far-off days they had a large hardback book full of lists of available recordings, which would arrive a couple of weeks later. I remember talking to an older fellow student about my enthusiasm for VW and he said that, if I liked VW, I had to listen to the Howells work - I'd never heard of the composer before. Odd how these things stick in my mind:


"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Mirror Image

Quote from: vandermolen on August 17, 2021, 02:00:34 AM
From WAYLTN thread:
Vaughan Williams: Sancta Civitas (Ian Partridge, John Shirley-Quirk, LSO, David Willcocks).
It's a long time since I played this magnificent work - arguably one of the composer's greatest works. This is still my favourite recording and is the one that I first came across on LP when I was a university student. I was lucky that my early enthusiasm for VW developed at a time of revival in the composer's music, either side of the 1972 centenary, when many more recordings (such as this one), became available. I remember ordering the LP at the same time as Herbert Howells's 'Hymnus Paradisi' (also conducted by David Willcocks) and these were two huge discoveries for me. I seem to remember ordering them from Boots - the Chemist in Lancaster - seems a weird idea now but, in those far-off days they had a large hardback book full of lists of available recordings, which would arrive a couple of weeks later. I remember talking to an older fellow student about my enthusiasm for VW and he said that, if I liked VW, I had to listen to the Howells work - I'd never heard of the composer before. Odd how these things stick in my mind:

Yep, I'll agree with you about Sancta Civitas, Jeffrey. It's a magnificent piece. I like the Willcocks performance a lot, but I also like this one from Hickox:


Iota

Quote from: vandermolen on August 17, 2021, 02:00:34 AM
I remember ordering the LP at the same time as Herbert Howells's 'Hymnus Paradisi' (also conducted by David Willcocks) and these were two huge discoveries for me. I seem to remember ordering them from Boots - the Chemist in Lancaster - seems a weird idea now but, in those far-off days they had a large hardback book full of lists of available recordings, which would arrive a couple of weeks later.

It does indeed seem strange now. The only record my mother ever bought for me was from Boots the Chemist, Askenazy's Chopin Etudes on Saga. An LP that I think can reasonably claim to have changed my young life more than any other, changing the way I thought about piano playing in one blinding moment, which affected my future life quite considerably.

Neither of my parents ever listened to, or were particularly interested in music, I'm rather jealous of those whose parents were.

Roasted Swan

Quote from: Iota on August 17, 2021, 07:26:24 AM
It does indeed seem strange now. The only record my mother ever bought for me was from Boots the Chemist, Askenazy's Chopin Etudes on Saga. An LP that I think can reasonably claim to have changed my young life more than any other, changing the way I thought about piano playing in one blinding moment, which affected my future life quite considerably.

Neither of my parents ever listened to, or were particularly interested in music, I'm rather jealous of those whose parents were.

But back in the day you could buy LP's from; Smiths, Woolworths, Boots, just about any decent bookshop, HMV had decent CM departments and that was before you got anywhere near specialist music shops! Or Our Price, Tower, Virgin........  I remember when I first moved to London to go to college in 1979 there were music shops and bookshops everywhere - independents and chains (MDC, Farringdon Records for starters).  Now in London I'm not sure there is a single decent CD shop (I suspect this is a sign of getting old and grumpy...!)

vandermolen

Quote from: Mirror Image on August 17, 2021, 06:45:22 AM
Yep, I'll agree with you about Sancta Civitas, Jeffrey. It's a magnificent piece. I like the Willcocks performance a lot, but I also like this one from Hickox:


I like that performance too John and also the one from Rozhdestvensky.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

vandermolen

Quote from: Iota on August 17, 2021, 07:26:24 AM
It does indeed seem strange now. The only record my mother ever bought for me was from Boots the Chemist, Askenazy's Chopin Etudes on Saga. An LP that I think can reasonably claim to have changed my young life more than any other, changing the way I thought about piano playing in one blinding moment, which affected my future life quite considerably.

Neither of my parents ever listened to, or were particularly interested in music, I'm rather jealous of those whose parents were.
As I think I've mentioned elsewhere I remember coming home from school one day (must have been in 1969) to find a copy of the newly released 'Abbey Road' LP on my bed and it wasn't my birthday! My mother had bought it for me - always remembered that.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

vandermolen

Quote from: Roasted Swan on August 17, 2021, 07:40:38 AM
But back in the day you could buy LP's from; Smiths, Woolworths, Boots, just about any decent bookshop, HMV had decent CM departments and that was before you got anywhere near specialist music shops! Or Our Price, Tower, Virgin........  I remember when I first moved to London to go to college in 1979 there were music shops and bookshops everywhere - independents and chains (MDC, Farringdon Records for starters).  Now in London I'm not sure there is a single decent CD shop (I suspect this is a sign of getting old and grumpy...!)
No, you are right - there are no decent CM record shops in London (there's one or two in Brighton). The last one in London was Harold Moores which was always fun due to their supercilious and aloof staff, although Harold himself was charming (I recall a long conversation with him during which we agreed that Prokofiev's 'Ivan the Terrible' was much better than the more polished 'Alexander Nevsky'). Farringdon Records in Cheapside was my favourite.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: vandermolen on August 17, 2021, 10:50:44 AM
As I think I've mentioned elsewhere I remember coming home from school one day (must have been in 1969) to find a copy of the newly released 'Abbey Road' LP on my bed and it wasn't my birthday! My mother had bought it for me - always remembered that.
Aw!  Way to go Mom!  ;D

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

vandermolen

"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Iota

Quote from: Roasted Swan on August 17, 2021, 07:40:38 AM
But back in the day you could buy LP's from; Smiths, Woolworths, Boots, just about any decent bookshop, HMV had decent CM departments and that was before you got anywhere near specialist music shops! Or Our Price, Tower, Virgin........  I remember when I first moved to London to go to college in 1979 there were music shops and bookshops everywhere - independents and chains (MDC, Farringdon Records for starters).  Now in London I'm not sure there is a single decent CD shop (I suspect this is a sign of getting old and grumpy...!)

Indeed the past is a different country etc .. I bought quite a few classical LPs from WH Smiths and Our Price in the 70's. Woolworths seemed to have less classical than those other two, in my home counties neck of the woods at least.

Quote from: vandermolen on August 17, 2021, 10:50:44 AM
As I think I've mentioned elsewhere I remember coming home from school one day (must have been in 1969) to find a copy of the newly released 'Abbey Road' LP on my bed and it wasn't my birthday! My mother had bought it for me - always remembered that.

Nice story! All I remember my mother saying about the Beatles was that they seemed liked really nice boys, very clean! She never admitted to liking classical music, though she did once cave in after hearing me playing one Bowie album however many countless times, and admit to rather liking it!  8)

vandermolen

Quote from: Iota on August 17, 2021, 01:21:46 PM
Indeed the past is a different country etc .. I bought quite a few classical LPs from WH Smiths and Our Price in the 70's. Woolworths seemed to have less classical than those other two, in my home counties neck of the woods at least.

Nice story! All I remember my mother saying about the Beatles was that they seemed liked really nice boys, very clean! She never admitted to liking classical music, though she did once cave in after hearing me playing one Bowie album however many countless times, and admit to rather liking it!  8)
OT
Also a nice story. As a child my mother twice took me to see the Beatles perform in London (I also saw 'The Monkees'  :o). All you heard was screaming though.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Iota

Quote from: vandermolen on August 17, 2021, 11:11:37 PM
OT
Also a nice story. As a child my mother twice took me to see the Beatles perform in London (I also saw 'The Monkees'  :o). All you heard was screaming though.

I'm very jealous, despite the screaming.  8)

The closest I got to anything like that was my chemistry teacher taking me to a Deep Purple gig at the Rainbow Theatre when I was 13!  :laugh:

Apologies for all the OT interjections.

vandermolen

"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Mirror Image

I wonder when the next installment to the Brabbins series on Hyperion will be released? If we're going on a yearly basis then this year should be a release since last year Symphony No. 5 came out. To speculate, I imagine this next release will be Symphony No. 6 (with a coupling of another symphony or some other works).

Karl Henning

Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Symphonic Addict

What do you think about Sinfonia antartica? How do you rank it? Any special or favorite recording? This work looks, to me, like underrated in comparison with the others.
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

relm1

Quote from: Symphonic Addict on September 30, 2021, 03:52:34 PM
What do you think about Sinfonia antartica? How do you rank it? Any special or favorite recording? This work looks, to me, like underrated in comparison with the others.

RVW is a masterful symphonist.  I love every one of his symphonies.  Some are abstract.  Some are programmatic.  No. 7 is programmatic.  So is No. 1.  But like No. 1, there is a far more important subtext.  No. 1 isn't a sea symphony.  It's a spiritual symphony using the sea as a metaphor.  I see the same with No. 7.  Like No. 5 it uses other works for sources.  This doesn't detract me from the poetic inspiration at all any more than Prokofiev's No. 3 (from his opera, The Fiery Angel), Alexander Nevsky cantata (from the film), Shostakovich No. 11 from extant folk songs, etc.   I love RVW's No. 7 and find it very unique symphonically and in his body of work.  Yet it fits right in too. 

Symphonic Addict

Quote from: relm1 on September 30, 2021, 04:50:47 PM
RVW is a masterful symphonist.  I love every one of his symphonies.  Some are abstract.  Some are programmatic.  No. 7 is programmatic.  So is No. 1.  But like No. 1, there is a far more important subtext.  No. 1 isn't a sea symphony.  It's a spiritual symphony using the sea as a metaphor.  I see the same with No. 7.  Like No. 5 it uses other works for sources.  This doesn't detract me from the poetic inspiration at all any more than Prokofiev's No. 3 (from his opera, The Fiery Angel), Alexander Nevsky cantata (from the film), Shostakovich No. 11 from extant folk songs, etc.   I love RVW's No. 7 and find it very unique symphonically and in his body of work.  Yet it fits right in too.

Very good to read and it makes sense. I hadn't realized the potential of this tremendous piece. My only quibble is the 4th movement Intermezzo. It was the least interesting to me overall. Granted, it's a necessary quiet moment into the whole work, but I think it could be more cogent.
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky